Spis (Szepes) County Slovakia - Background

Background

THE SPIS COUNTY (SZEPES) DUAL GEOGRAPHIC DNA PROJECT:

The Spis County Slovakia DNA project is a geographic DNA project associated with all villages of the former SPIS COUNTY (SZEPES Comitas in Hungarian) of the historical Kingdom of Hungary. Spis County was the fourth largest source of emigrants to the United States following Zemplin, Abov, and Saros Counties. An estimated 11 % of the Spis population of eastern Slovakia emigrated to work in the coal mines of eastern Pennsylvania, the steel mills of Western Pennsylvania, and the many factories in New Jersey.  These emigrants are our immigrant ancestors who serve as the link between the past and today. We carry them forward through our DNA and into the future through our own descendants. 

WHY WAS THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT STARTED?

The group administrator (GA)  has been actively researching a sub-set of the Spis County villages known as the Zamagurie Region for over 15 years. She has served as the GA for that project since March 2007. This region is located in eastern Slovakia and crosses into the southern Polish region known as Malopolska.  During these efforts, the GA has travelled 8 times to the region in search of records, village and church histories, and a greater understanding of the culture and folklore. Despite the difficulties in obtaining access,  she has successfully digitized previously unavailable records. In doing so, she maintains a private collection as well as a database of researched pedigrees with well over 30,000 surnames from the Spis villages. This work provides the backdrop and experience in helping people to locate their ancestral villages and surnames with great success.  

In 2011, the GA was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to continue the research on the topic of "The Slovak Migration Decision Making Process: 1870 to 1914 - A Village Perspective. Living in Slovakia for eight months since September 2011, provides the unique opportunity to research the migration of people throughout SPIS COUNTY using previously untapped records and resources.  In doing so, the level of knowledge and experience is expanding to include ALL of the SPIS villages. The project has grown to a recognized and formalized academic study.  While most of these villages have been microfilmed by the LDS, the experience and knowledge gained by the 12 years of hands-on experience in eastern Slovakia serve as a solid foundation for this new project. In addition, the project incorporates the Zamagurie villages which have not been microfilmed. 

This project was extended to include the SPIS villages at the request of several persons.  It was approved by Family Tree DNA as of November 2011. The role of group administrator is voluntary. It was not created lightly as the GA believes the project's success depends on being hands-on and dedicated to its members. Assistance is provided to finding the member's roots, understanding how the genetic cousins from the geographic region may be related, and understanding the DNA results obtained. Peoples participation is meant to be a win-win; each learning more about the his or her Slovak ancestors and the genetic make-up of the Spis region. 

DNA testing and genealogy go hand in hand.  Often the hardest part in starting the genealogical process is locating the ancestral villages. Knowledge of chain migration patterns, access to a large volume of records, familiarity and experience with the region and associated surnames on both sides of the ocean, are all positive contributors to helping this project's members to learn more about the Slovak ancestry at many levels. 

WHO CAN JOIN THIS PROJECT?

Participation in this project is limited to those members who can demonstrate an ancestral link to the former Spis County villages. The project facilitates connecting members with common interests in researching their ancestry from this particular geographic region. Membership should have a reasonable chance of finding genetic matches as the project grows and more people test with Family Tree DNA. However, it should be clearly understood that no guarantees of genetic matches can be made. Also, to extend the project beyond a reasonable geographic area may be a disservice to our project members overall. See a list of villages below.

Your participation can help you and others to learn more about our Slovak roots.  Honor your ancestors by preserving more than just a memory.  Join today!

WHAT CAN PARTICIPATION DO FOR ME?

DNA testing can help confirm your paper trail, help to discover links to unknown relatives, and possibly even help follow your ancestral surnames as they migrated from village to village.  Your participation in THIS project taps into over 12 years of research in eastern Slovakia.  The GA will assist you in establishing whether or not you MAY be linked to this region BEFORE you submit a DNA sample. This may increase your potential to understanding your ancestral origins and connecting with others who are also researching your surnames. Mind you, there are no guarantees of finding a match nor can we do your complete genealogy for you. The GA will assist in the process.

WHAT VILLAGES ARE COVERED?

Below is an alphabetized list of villages of the former Spis County (Szepes) Slovakia. Smaller villages may not be named on this site.
 
The place names have changed over the years and may not be listed here in the form you have seen on passenger lists or other documents.  They may be in German, Hungarian, or Slovak.  Please contact the GA for assistance as she is familiar with these changes and may help to identify your ancestral vilage(s). Diacrylic marks have been omitted due to formatting limitations on this website.

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